GROW BY LEARNING

God said: "This is what the LORD (Yehweh) says ~ Who formed you in the womb: "I Am the LORD who has made all things, who ALONE stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by Myself." Isaiah 44:24

Jesus ~ God the Son "... God has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word." Hebrews 1:2-3

Jesus spoke often in gentle words of humility. These words should not lesson our understanding of Who He is. They should greatly exalt our view of Him ~ and our devotion to Him. "Christ Jesus ~ Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death ~ even death on a cross." Philippians 2:5-8

Jesus Christ ~ apart from Me there is no God. There is none besides Me. Turn to Me and be saved all you ends of the earth, for I am God ~ and there is no other. (Isa 44:6, 45:5, 21-22)

"This is what the LORD (Yehweh ~ GOD) says ~ Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: 'I AM the FIRST and I AM the LAST. Apart from Me there is no God.'" Isaiah 44:6This is what Jesus said: "Do not be afraid. I AM the FIRST and I AM the LAST. I AM the Living One. I was dead, and behold I Am alive for ever and ever. And I hold the keys of death and Hades." Revelation 1:17-18

"This is what the Sovereign LORD says: 'I MYSELF will search for My sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after His scattered flock when He is with them, so will I look after My sheep... I MYSELF will tend My sheep and have them lay down.' declares the Sovereign LORD.'" Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15Jesus Christ said:"I Am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." John 10:11When Jesus said this He knew the ancient prophecies about Himself, including Ezekiel. He said there was only one flock and one Shepherd. Ezek 10:16Peter refers to Christ:"You were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls." 1 Peter 2:25

Do
Not Take revenge (1556)
Webster's) = to avenge (as oneself) usually by retaliating in kind or
degree; to inflict injury in return for (revenge an insult); To
inflict pain or injury in return for an injury received. Revenge is
an action of inflicting harm or damage on someone else in retaliation
forharm or damage inflicted on you.,http://www.yourdictionary.com/revenge

Vengeance
is something done in revenge.
punishment inflicted in retaliation for an injury or offense;
retribution - the dispensing or receiving of reward or punishment
especially in the hereafter . Payback, resprisal, requital,
retaliation, retribution, revenge.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vengeance

Give
place unto wrath.—It
seems best to understand this of “the wrath of God” (indicated in
the Greek, here as elsewhere, by the use of the article). Stand aside
yourself as a mere spectator, and let the wrath of God have free
course to accomplish itself as He shall think well. The other most
plausible interpretation would be, “Give room to the wrath of your
adversary; let it spend itself; resist not evil,” etc., as in
Matthew 5:39. The sense, “Allow time for your own anger to cool,”
cannot be got out of the Greek. The view first stated is to be
preferred.

Wrath
(3709
to swell. conveys the picture of a swelling which eventually bursts,
and thus describes an anger that proceeds from one’s settled
nature. Does not refer to uncontrollable anger to which men are so
prone but to God's settled indignation and controlled passionate
hostile feeling toward sin in all its various manifestations. Settled
indignation means that God’s holiness cannot and will not coexist
with sin in any form whatsoever Is not the momentary, emotional, and
often uncontrolled anger (thumos - 2372) to which human beings are
prone. Is used primarily of God's holy, righteous wrath but
occasionally refers to the wrath of men (see Ephesians 4:31)

For
(gar)
is a term of explanation = always pause, ponder and query "for"
when it is used as a term of explanation, relying on your Teacher,
the Spirit, to give you illumination to the meaning of the text and
context.

It
is written -God
said it, that settles it, whether I believe it or not! It is written
should put a stop to every complaint or excuse.

Written
is in
the
perfect tense (gegraphtai) which emphasizes the lasting and binding
authority of that which was written. It has been written at some
point in time in the past (cf Lv 11:44, 19:2, 20:7 were originally
inscribed with a stylus by Moses probably on clay tablets under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit circa 1500BC) and it "stands"
written.

Do
not be deceived,
(present imperative + negative ~ stop being deceived, implying some
already were being deceived - remember too that when we are deceived,
by definition we don't even know it!

The
natural instinct is to answer enmity with enmity, and kindliness with
kindliness. There are many people of whom we think well and like, for
no other reason than because we believe that they think well of and
like us. Such a love is really selfishness. In the same fashion,
dislike, and alienation on the part of another naturally reproduce
themselves in our own minds. A dog will stretch its neck to be
patted, and snap at a stick raised to strike it. It requires a strong
effort to master this instinctive tendency, and that effort the
plainest principles of Christian morality require from us all. The
precepts in our text are in twofold form, negative and positive; and
they are closed with a general principle, which includes both these
forms, and much more besides.

I.
We deal with the negative precept.

'Avenge
not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto wrath.'
Do not take the law into your own hands, but leave God's way of
retribution to work itself out.

II.
Take the positive, -- Follow God's way of meeting hostility with
beneficence.

The
great object which every Christian man is bound to have in view is to
win over the enemy and melt away misconceptions and hostility. It is
not from any selfish regard to one's own personal ease that we are so
to act, but because of the sacred regard which Christ has taught us
to cherish for the blessing of peace amongst men, and in order that
we may deliver a brother from the snare, and make him share in the
joys of fellowship with God.

III.
In all life meet and conquer evil with good.

It
implies that in all our lives we have to fight evil, and that it
conquers, and we are beaten when we are led to do it. It is only
conquered by being transformed into good. We overcome our foes when
we win them to be lovers.

It is not surprising that Greek literature throws little light on its distinctive NT meaning. Biblical agape love is the love of choice, the love of serving with humility, the highest kind of love, the noblest kind of devotion, the love of the will (intentional, a conscious choice) and not motivated by superficial appearance, emotional attraction, or sentimental relationship. Agape is not based on pleasant emotions or good feelings that might result from a physical attraction or a familial bond. Agape chooses as an act of self-sacrifice to serve the recipient. From all of the descriptions of agape love, it is clear that true agape love is a sure mark of salvation.

Agape love does not depend on the world’s criteria for love, such as attractiveness, emotions, or sentimentality. Believers can easily fall into the trap of blindly following the world’s demand that a lover feel positive toward the beloved. This is not agape love, but is a love based on impulse. Impulsive love characterizes the spouse who announces to the other spouse that they are planning to divorce their mate. Why? They reason “I can’t help it. I fell in love with another person!” Christians must understand that this type of impulsive love is completely contrary to God’s decisive love, which is decisive because He is in control and has a purpose in mind. There are many reasons a proper understanding of the truth of God's word (and of the world's lie) is critical and one of the foremost is Jesus' declaration that "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love (agape) for one another." (John 13:35).

Agape is God-like love motivated and energized by God (Romans 5:5, Gal 5:22) and which loves regardless of the circumstances, a deliberate love that decides (enabled by the Spirit and grace) it will keep loving even if it is rebuffed and a love that centers on the needs and welfare of the one loved and will pay whatever personal price is necessary to meet those needs and foster that welfare. We are challenged to live out this highest form of love and to do so with the highest sincerity. How could this be possible except that it be a supernatural endowment?

Our love is to be genuine, not counterfeit. Don't pat another believer on the back and say something that you don't mean. What does this non-hypocritical love look like? Counter to what many seem to believe, it is not "soft" on evil. In context agape abhors evil and clings to good. The mark of love is to hate evil and to hold fast to what is good.

9
Let
love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.
10
Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor
giving preference to one another; 11
not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12
rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in
prayer;
13
distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.14
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15
Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16
Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high
things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own
opinion.17
Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight
of all men. 18
If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all
men. 19
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath;
for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the
Lord. 20
Therefore“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give
him a drink;For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

9Love
must be completely sincere.
Let love be genuine. Let Love be without hypocrisy.

Hate
what is evil.Abhor
what is evil

Hold
on to what is good. Cling
to what is good

10Love
one another warmly as Christians,
Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love,

Be
eager to show respect for one another. in
honor giving preference to one another

11Work
hard and do not be lazy.
not
lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit,;

Serve
the Lord with a heart full of devotion.Serving
the Lord fervent in spirit

12Let
your hope keep you joyful,rejoicing
in hope,

Be
patient in your troubles,
and
patient in tribulation

Pray
at all times. Continuing
steadfastly in prayer

13Share
your belongings with your needy fellow Christians, distributing
to the needs of the saints

And
open your homes to strangers. given
to hospitality

14
Ask God to bless those who persecute you—yes, ask him to bless,
not to curse.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

15
Be
happy with those who are happy, weep with those who weep.
Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep

16
Have the same concern for everyone.Be
of the same mind toward one another.

Do
not be proud, but accept humble duties.
Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble.

Do
not think of yourselves as wise. Do
not be wise in your own opinion

17If
someone has done you wrong, do not repay him with a wrong.Repay
no one evil for evil.
Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.

Try
to do what everyone considers to be good. Have
regard for good things in the sight of all men.

18Do
everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody. If
it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all
men

19
Never take revenge, my friends, but instead let God's anger do it.
For the scripture says, “I will take revenge, I will pay back,
says the Lord.”
Beloved,
do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is
written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord

20
Instead, as the scripture says: “If your enemies are hungry, feed
them; if they are thirsty, give them a drink; for by doing this you
will make them burn with shame.” Therefore“If
your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a
drink;For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

21Do
not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good. Do
not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

IntroductionI want to speak to you this morning on, “The Invincible Power of the Inerrant Word.”

Prayer: Steven Lawson said that we should take his outline and teach it to your church.

We understand what the word inerrant means. It means that it is without any errors as it was recorded in its original autographs. This is a flawless book in all that it states.

Psalm 12:6-7 states, “The words of the LORD are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.” Refined to absolute perfection. It is a flawless book in all that it states.

Proverbs 30:5 says, “Every word of God is tested,” meaning: it has been put into the fire. There are no impurities that remain. It is the pure gold and silver of the truth of God.

Jesus prayed in John 17:17, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth.” The word truth means reality, the way things really are. It does not mean that which the culture or population says that something is. It is not reality as is perceived by us. The word truth means reality: the way things really are. Sin is whatever God says sin is. Salvation is whatever God says salvation is. Heaven and hell are whatever God says heaven and hell are. “Let every man be found a liar. Let God be found true!”

In James 1:25, the Scripture is referred to as the perfect law.

In 1 Peter 2:2, the Bible represents itself as the pure milk of the Word. That is to say, it is unadulterated. It is unvarnished.

The Bible says in Hebrews 6:18, “It is impossible for God to lie.” I have translated this from the Greek and it says "It is impossible for God to lie." It means what it says, and says what it means.

Titus 1:2 speaks of “God, who cannot lie.” There are some things that God cannot do. God can never contradict Himself. It is impossible for God to lie, because He is the Truth. And His Son is the Truth. And His Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. And thus the Word of God is the Truth.

Spurgeon said, “If I did not believe in the absolute infallibility of Scripture, I would never enter the pulpit again.” And so it is for all of us who gather here today. If we do not believe in the inerrancy of the Word of God we would never enter a pulpit again. Because the Word of God is inerrant, it is, by necessity, invincible.

Because the Word of God is absolutely pure, it is therefore absolutely powerful. Because the Bible is what it claims to be, it is able to do what it claims to do. The word invincible means “incapable of being overcome or subdued,” “incapable of being conquered or debated.” Such is the supernatural power of the Word of God.The Bible is so invincible that it requires many different symbols to communicate the whole of its power. The Bible is like a beautiful diamond that has many different facets. And when you hold it up to the light, its beauty refracts the light out of each facet, such that no one metaphor can communicate the perfection of the Bible. There are many metaphors. And many metaphors just to get our arms around the absolute infallibility of Scripture, I

SEVEN SYMBOLS, METAPHORS OF SACRED SCRIPTURE

I want to set before us seven symbols of Sacred Scripture—seven metaphors or analogies that Scripture employs to speak of itself. How the Bible represents itself to us.

And I would encourage you to put this outline in the back of your Bible, to preach this outline, and to teach this as a lesson.

On Wednesday Evening our service included the Free’s from McDermott, OH. Steve and Susan Free were our guess singers, and they were very good. I first saw Steve singing at Holiday Inn in December 2014 and then we bought his Christmas DVD and Charity and I just love the songs. They are such a sweet (If I might use that term) couple. They were a blessing

About Me

I am the Pastor/Teacher of Rivers of Joy Baptist Church in Minford, Ohio since August 2008. I am married to Charity since June 14, 1969. I have four grown children. Having served in the local church for over forty years as Pastor/Teacher, Asso., Youth Pastor, Minister of Education, Building Upkeep, Camp Director, Sunday School Teacher, etc. Also I have worked in the public place for as many years as I have preached.